The ABC's for getting your zzzzz's

Getting enough sleep is important, but difficult to manage. No matter how old you are there’s always something that gets in the way.

As a child it’s often the imagination - drumming up images of monsters under the bed - that can prevent little ones from falling asleep. When you’re in college, fun and midterm exams make sleep a low priority. As a working adult it could be any number of things, a new baby, for example. My daughter was sleeping through the night at 9 weeks, but our son was probably a toddler before he gave in to the sandman. I know it was long after my maternity leave expired.

Every time I attend a baby shower I share one of my stories -- like the time I showed up at work wearing two different color shoes. They were the same style, only one was navy and the other was black. Another time I was so exhausted that I went home an hour early thinking I was done for the day. And don’t think just because you’re retired and have all the time in the world that you’ll be sleeping in until noon. My in-laws are retired and they rise with the sun.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average American sleeps about six hours and 55 minutes per night during the week. Fifteen percent of adults sleep less than six hour per night. Yet sleep is one of the simplest things we can do for our health.

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“Lack of sleep can take a significant toll on your overall health and interfere with some of your daily activities,” said Dr. Michael Thorpy, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at the Montfiore Medical Center in New York.

Everyone has trouble sleeping now and then. Worrying about things that happened during the day or what might be happening the next morning and eating something that disagrees with you are among normal factors contributing to a restless night. Other more consistent problems may be signs of insomnia.

“Insomnia can affect people in different ways,” according to the NSF. “Some sufferers have trouble initially getting to sleep, while others wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling back to sleep.”

Below are a few ideas recommended by Thorpy and other experts to help us all get a little more sleep:

* There’s a reason parents establish a regular bedtime and wake time. The body likes to be on a schedule, so set one and stick to it.

* Never go to bed with something weighing on your mind. If you go to bed at 11 p.m. set aside 10 minutes at night to wind down. Grab a book and read a few pages. I inherited this habit from my parents and passed it along to my children. Watching TV or using the computer right before bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep unless it’s a really boring show.

* “Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed,” said Thorpy. While it might seem to help, alcohol can have a negative effect on what scientists refer to as “sleep architecture.” That’s the pattern of sleep and brain waves that leave us feeling refreshed in the morning. Alcohol can also cause dehydration.

* Who can sleep with a spring in their back? Consider investing (and a good mattress is a good investment) in a quality mattress or at the very least, a new mattress cover.

* Remember how exhausted you were as a kid after a day of playing outdoors or as an adult after mowing the lawn? Exercise is important to getting a good night’s sleep. That does not mean doing jumping jacks before going to bed. Create a regular routine and possibly check with your doctor before starting an exercise regimen.

* My biggest problem when I wake up in the middle of the night is the clock. I see what time it is and if I don’t fall asleep, I immediately spend the rest of the night watching the hours tick away. Try to avoid looking at the clock. Whatever you do, don’t turn on the TV or computer because these technologies stimulate the brain, making it tougher to fall back to sleep, said Thorpy.

“If these tips don’t help, speak with your healthcare professional to help determine if you are suffering from insomnia and require treatment,” Thorpy said.

For more information, visit the National Sleep Foundation’s website: sleepfoundatin.org.

Gina Joseph is a reporter and columnist for The Macomb Daily. Contact her at gina.joseph@macombdaily.com and read her lifestyle blog at themacombdaily.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaljoseph.